By Ktrenal
One-Shot
So you think you're better than me?
Because that's what all this suggests to me right now. That you, in some way, think that you are superior to me. Just because you're doing the 'right' thing, because you didn't spend most of your life killing to survive. And because, unlike me, you never worked for Shinra. That's what this comes down to, isn't it?
You can all just sit there, thinking you're all so high and mighty because you never actually agreed with the way things were run, and that no matter what you do now, it will never be as bad as the things that Shinra did. You're not destroying the Planet, after all, not using and abusing people for your own purposes. Not hiring the likes of me to get rid of the things you don't want to deal with.
Or... maybe not? You wanna know how all this looks to me? Assuming, of course, that I get the right to speak. You did ask if I wanted to say anything, so I'm going to take that as a yes. And you're all out there, behind that sheet of glass, so you can't exactly stop me from talking. Unless you want to come in here? Now that would be cool.
Oh, sorry. You don't think that's funny, do you? It's not like it matters to me now, anyway.
So, where was I?
I was just about to tell you what the world really looks like, wasn't I? You're not going to like what I have to say, I don't think, but then, what worse can you do to me? Bearing in mind that nice, merciful persona that you're putting across, you can't exactly get any more harsh than this without having your ratings plummet. And we can't have that, can we?
Fucking politicians.
Yeah, I'm going to swear at you as much as I like, so don't make that face at me. You're not exactly doing me any favours here, so I have no reason to treat you with any respect. If you were actually being any better than Shinra, we wouldn't be here now, would we?
See, that's the truth of it. Come on, face it. I'm just a problem that you don't want to deal with, so you've got these guys here to get rid of me. How much are you paying them, I wonder? How much money does it take to wipe away a man's conscience?
You might as well ask how long a piece of string is. Because you never know.
Now, after we're done here, I want you to go outside and take a look around. Just stand there and see the world from my eyes for a moment or two. It's a real eye-opener, let me tell you.
Lets see, where are we? You brought me to Junon, didn't you? That's a good example, actually. All the new little companies here, doing exactly the same things Shinra used to. Instead of using Mako to create power, you're burning pretty much anything else. Wood, coal, oil. That weird stuff that makes you glow if you get exposed to it. Not Mako, but the other stuff. The... radioactive stuff. I think that's the right word.
Wasn't very good with science you see. It's not like I ever got much of an education, if you know what I mean. If it hadn't been for Shinra, of course, I'd never have learned to read or anything. See? You like to ignore all the good things they did for us.
Anyway, so you're getting electricity from all these other things now, and I suppose in that lovely air-conditioned office you get to work in, you wouldn't have noticed the smog down in the lower parts of the city, that black smoke that's practically solid it's so thick. You got so many people down there half choking on this stuff. I wonder if you ever saw the Midgar Slums, and breathed the air down there? I can tell you the stuff you got here is far worse.
Oh, and make sure you go for a swim in the sea later. There's actually fish there now, or so I hear. Dark, slimy things with three eyes and such. Honestly, you didn't expect any real fish with all that shit you're dumping in the sea, did you?
I suppose, on the plus side of this, it's not like there's any social inequality anymore, is it? There's not a handful of people that have everything while the rest suffer and die in poverty. Hell no! Now everyone lives in poverty because the whole world's economy relied on Shinra.
Are you proud of yourselves? You've destroyed the one evil, and you've created another that's far, far worse. Across the whole Planet you've got people starving, struggling to grow food on a tortured landscape that can't support plants anymore because of all those geological thingies when you cut down all the trees. I suppose people can sit in those new houses you built them, sit nice and warm by the fire and watch their televisions. Hey, are they watching this? I hope so.
Yeah, so they've got these wonderful new houses, and all they could ever need in life, except for a certain few things. Things like clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and food to eat. This is your paradise, the Shinra-free world you've created for us all.
Well, not you in particular. I notice that the people directly responsible for this didn't even have the decency to turn up today. I'd love to know why, I really would. I bet it's because they all choked to death on that smog.
But I hope not. I really do. I'd much rather they stayed alive. Oh, don't look like that. It's not because I like them or anything. This place, this world, is hell. So I'd like them to experience the consequences of their actions. Shiva, do heroes never consider consequences? Ever?
So you've got an immoral corporation dominating the world. Didn't anybody for a moment consider that destroying the corporation would quite probably wipe out the economy, create global poverty, and destroy every last bit of civilisation.
It's human nature, you see. Without the things in life people are used to having, the world descends into anarchy. What is it they used to say? Deprive the people of television for just a few days, and civilisation collapses. So what happens when you take out everything they've ever known, all in one fell sweep?
You got it! Chaos, destruction, and we're all plunged into absolute hell. Isn't everybody just so much happier now? These have been the happiest few months of my life.
No, really. They have. Instead of living in a beautiful apartment on the Plates, with a well-paying job and the ability to take anything I want, I get to spend three months running around the Planet with nothing more than the clothes on my back and the weapons at my side. I haven't slept in a bed in ages. Hell, I haven't eaten in two weeks.
And since it doesn't matter now anyway, I might as well tell you I mugged a kid for my last meal. I mean, that kind of thing is expected of me anyway, isn't it? If I'm going to be treated like scum, why should I not behave the part?
The funny thing is, if you'd just left me alone, let me disappear somewhere and try to rebuild my life, I wouldn't have done it. Really, I was all for making an honest living. I used to be pretty good with computers, you see. I was thinking of doing something with that. You know, just rebuild people's computers, fix them so they're not reliant on the Shinra global network. I know how to do that, you see.
But you wouldn't let me. Because justice demanded that someone pay for the things Shinra did, and I was the highest ranking person you could find. So I had to run away from the beginnings of the life I'd started. It wasn't as nice a life as I was used to, but I was able to eat once every three days, and I had a bit of a shelter constructed over my head. Enough to keep the rain off so the computers didn't get wet. I had a few cables going out to the electric wires so I actually had access to the power to work on the computers.
Mako eyes are useful for one thing, you know. When it's dark, it's like having your own personal flashlight. Quite useful, really, when you don't have any other source of light.
But I suppose telling you all that is pointless, isn't it? I was making use of one of the only skills I have other than killing people, and you take that away. You drive me away from my home, ruin everything just for your petty need for revenge.
After a few weeks of running away from your buddies, I was so hungry I jumped a little kid and stole his food. I have survival instincts, you know? I can't help it. Everyone has the instinct to survive, but Shinra made mine stronger. When I need to eat, and I mean really need to eat, I'll find food, no matter what I have to do.
If I'd been at home, it wouldn't have been an issue, because I was getting to eat every few days. But you made sure that I couldn't.
I'm not a bad guy. Alright, so I'm a heartless bastard who used to kill for a living, and... alright, if you're going to frown at me like that, I might as well admit I used to kill for fun too. But I'm sure you read all that on those files about me. No doubt it was reading those files that gave you the idea to hunt me down. I bet, if you'd not seen them, you'd never have even thought about me, at least not until much later.
But what it comes down to is that I'm not a completely bad person. If I hadn't been starving, I wouldn't have nicked the kid's food, and if you'd just left me alone, you'd never have known I existed. Or maybe you might have found that my skills might have been useful. And no, I don't mean the killing. I meant the computers. I bet you're having all kinds of problems with yours right now, aren't you?
It doesn't matter now, though. You need a scapegoat, and here I am. Blame me, blame Shinra, for the utter hell that you've created. As the new world leader, it's your responsibility to placate all those angry, starving people out there. Convince them that their hell is all because of Shinra, and that killing me will change it all.
It's human nature, after all. That's all it's ever been about. You can pretend to be better than the ones you destroyed, but in the end, you're not. Shinra blamed Avalanche and the other terrorists for all the problems in the world, and now you're blaming me. Shinra nearly destroyed the Planet with its use of Mako, and now you're doing the same with everything else you can find. Shinra hired me to get rid of its problems, and now you've hired these glorified executioners to deal with yours.
I suppose the real joke here is that I wasn't a problem to you. I didn't owe Shinra any real loyalty, and so the only thing that bothers me about it not being around anymore is that fact that you're all acting like this hell is so much better. And you're all behaving like you're so much better. That's the thing that disgusts me about all this.
Well, you did ask. You said 'any last words?', and so there it is.
I bet you thought I'd give you a brief little babble about how I didn't want to die, and how I'm sorry for all the things I did for Shinra? No such luck there. Sorry if I disappointed you.
I'll admit that I don't particularly want to die. It's those damn survival instincts again, but it's not like I have much of an option here, so why should I not just accept it and make sure you've got something to think about? Because you do need to be taken down a peg or two, and to come down off that high horse of yours. And they always say that the words of a condemned man have more meaning than any other words.
You asked for my last words, and I've delivered. Unless, of course, you'd like a running commentary on what it feels like to be gassed to death? I can do that. Really, I can. If I can laugh and joke around while killing someone else, I can do it during my own death.
I take it from the look on your face that you'd rather I didn't? A shame. You should all know what it feels like. But alright, I won't tell you. Might as well do one nice thing before I snuff it.
Seeya in hell.
Disclaimer - All characters and themes are based on Final Fantasy VII, copyrighted to Square Enix, although the story itself is mine.
Author's Notes - I have absolutely no idea where this came from. It was just one of those strange moments of inspiration that comes from having no internet access for a few days. I suppose some of it does have a kind of base. I happened to be looking at the river near where I work, and noticed how polluted it was, and from there I started wondering whether all the new little companies that would replace Shinra would end up doing the same thing.
So that was the thinking behind the setting, but the rest of it, I really have no idea just what I was thinking. It just kind of arrived in my brain yesterday morning on the way to work, so I settled down to write it. I suppose the scariest thing is that I actually came up with a few ideas to go with this piece as I was writing it, so it may not stay a one-shot for very long.
I actually wrote this last week, but only got my internet connection back yesterday. So I'm uploading it today. Hope you enjoy.